Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges Play The Blues "Back To Back" (1959, Polygram Records)

These distinctive small-group sessions, featuring Duke Ellington as pianist in a blues context, are part of a group of recordings issued under the titles Back to Back and Side by Side, and further reissued under the  name of Blues Summit. There should be no confusion about the high quality of music that came out of these sessions. From the jazz world, it would be difficult to find more profound soloists on traditional blues numbers than the Duke or his longtime collaborator Johnny Hodges, who does some of the most soulful playing of his career here. Also hitting a very high standard for himself is trumpeter Harry Edison and, while musicians are being patted on the back, Joe Jones & Al Hall in the rhythm section should be given a hand. The songs all have titles that end in “Blues,” with the oddball having “Love” in the title not once but twice. (It’s “Loveless Love,” what else?) But these songs are just vehicles for playing the blues, a formula that has produced great music many times, and certainly did every time this particular pianist was leading the group.

Track List:
1. Wabash Blues   
2. Basin Street Blues   
3. Beale Street Blues     
4. Weary Blues   
5. St. Louis Blues, The   
6. Loveless Love   
7. Royal Garden Blues

Personnel:
Duke Ellington (piano)
Johnny Hodges  (alto saxophone)
Harry “Sweets” Edison (trumpet)
Les Spann  (guitar)
Al Hall  (bass)
Jo Jones (drums)

Recorded at Columbia Studios, New York, New York, February 20, 1959. Originally released on Verve (6055)

Buy at Amazon
Download